2023 FHSAA 1A Regional Championships
- Oct. 23-27, 2023
- Florida Class 1A
- Region 1 host: The Bolles School
- Region 2 host: Windermere Prep
- Region 3 host: Community School of Naples
- Region 4 host: Nova Southeastern University
- District Dates & Sites
- Results
Four months after fracturing his left wrist and right elbow in a biking accident, top class of 2024 recruit Kaii Winkler looked like he was back in form at the FHSAA 1A Region 4 meet on Friday.
The 17-year-old NC State commit won the 200-yard freestyle (1:35.54) and 100 butterfly (47.19) while also clocking a 20.23 50 free and 43.05 100 free leading off the 200 and 400 free relays for the South Florida HEAT (Home Educated Athletic Teams). Compared to last week’s 1A District 11 Championship, Winkler improved by .41 seconds in the 50 free, .66 seconds in the 100 free, 2.14 seconds in the 200 free, and 2.21 seconds in the 100 fly.
Winkler suffered his injuries in late June — on the eve of the U.S. National Championships — while biking home from morning practice. He swerved in an attempt to avoid a car that was turning into him, but partially hit the front fender of the car and flew over, bracing the fall with his hands. His left hand was in a cast for about four weeks and he was out of the water for about six weeks.
The defending state champion in the 100 free and 200 free, Winkler currently owns personal bests of 19.44 in the 50 free, 41.96 in the 100 free, and 1:33.28 in the 200 free. At 16 years old, he was the youngest American ever under 42 seconds in the 100 free, and his state title last year in the 200 free (1:34.18) broke Caeleb Dressel‘s Florida high school record (1:34.69) from 2013. Winkler will conclude his high school swimming career at the 1A State Championships on Saturday in Ocala, Florida.
Fellow NC State commit Erika Pelaez also had a huge day at the FHSAA 1A Region 4 meet, posting personal bests in the 100 free (47.88) and 100 back (51.32). She dropped three-hundredths off her previous-best 100 free time of 47.91 from December and three-tenths off her previous-best 100 back time of 51.62 from December. Both of those times represented new FHSAA records, lowering her own 100 free and 100 back standards of 48.08 and 51.78, respectively, from last year’s 1A State Championships.
Pelaez also won the 50 free (22.26) and led off South Florida HEAT’s 200 free relay with a 22.11 50 free, lowering Lexie Mulvihill’s FHSAA record of 22.22 from the 2020 4A State Championships. Last season as a junior, she won state titles in the 100 back (51.78) and 100 fly (52.12). She doesn’t appear to be contesting the 100 fly this season, leaving an opening for ASU commit Alexia Sotomayor (53.96 at Region 4 meet) to make a run at the 1A state crown.
After winning her first state title in the 200 free (1:46.65) last season, Texas commit Lillie Nesty is eyeing a distance free sweep this season. She captured Region 1 titles in the 200 free (1:47.44) and 500 free (4:48.98), the latter time marking a new personal best that shaved a few tenths off her previous best (4:49.29) from last November. Nesty also split 23.05 and 50.81 on the anchor legs of the 200 free and 400 free relays for PK Yonge Research School.
Lila Higgo, a Bolles School standout and Michigan commit, has an uphill battle toward a 100 back title with Pelaez ranking nearly three seconds ahead of her 54.19 from the Region 1 meet. But she appears to be the favorite for the 200 IM after blazing a 2:03.00 in the 200 IM, within a second of her lifetime best from her 4th-place finish at last year’s 1A State Championships.
Fellow Bolles School standout Sascha Macht threw down a pair of personal bests to position himself as the favorite in the men’s 200 IM (1:49.10) and a contender in the 100 fly (48.49) behind Winkler. In the 200 IM, the junior from Germany took down Bolles School teammates Carter Lancaster (1:50.70), the defending state champion in the event and a Cal commit, and Cohen Barron Chiam (1:50.70).
Another defending state champion from Bolles, Landon Kyser, got under 49 seconds for the first time in the 100 back (48.66). His teammate, Xavier Sohovich, won the 200 free at the Region 1 meet by nearly three seconds with a personal-best 1:37.50, but that’s still a couple
Yo Kai I don’t know if you got the memo but all the homies decided to go to UVA. Switch that commit home boi.
what a dumb comment.
w ending
Do swims made at regionals count toward a state record? It appears as if Pelaez broke three state records at this meet.
They do count as state records.
Also side correction to the article, the old 50 record was 22.22 by Lexie Mulvihill, not 22.29
Despite the injuries from the summer, still think Kaii is going to smash the 100 free national HS record at state.
He’s incredible. It was heartbreaking when he didn’t show up for Nationals. So glad he’s ok!